Abstract

Mobile networks that handle multicast communication services, such as video-on-demand, news-on-demand etc., require a kind of reliable and secure point-to-point, point-to-multipoint specific group communications for sophisticated organisation of multicast communications. A reliable multicast tree is an efficient connectivity between the source node and the multicast group members through the dependable hosts. Because the mobile host changes its access point over time, multicast routes must be updated. This poses several challenges to provide an efficient multicast routing. A neural-network-based multicast routing algorithm is proposed for constructing a reliable multicast tree that connects the participants of a multicast group. The problem is tackled by dividing a mobile network into clusters of nodes based on the adjacency relation between the nodes (mobile support stations), by considering a suitable neighbourhood distance. The centre cluster, whose nodes are almost equidistant from the multicast group members, is computed to construct a shortest multicast tree that passes through the centre cluster and reliable routers among all the group members. A Kohonens self-organising-map neural network has been used for clustering. Hopfield neural networks are used to construct a multicast tree with a minimum number of links which passes through the nodes that belong to centre cluster. In addition, the tree is constructed as and when the member(s) moves. This scheme should construct a reliable multicast tree and minimise recomputation time of the multicast tree as and when the multicast route is updated when the mobile hosts change their access point due to mobility. The computational power of the proposed neural-network-based multicast routing algorithm is demonstrated through simulation. The algorithm is also tested for mobility of the participating mobile hosts. The proposed work facilitates a possible multicast routing algorithm for future high-speed mobile networks.